ANKARA (Reuters) – There is no ceasefire deal between Turkey and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria, contrary to a U.S. announcement on the issue, a Turkish defence ministry official said on Thursday.
Turkey believes that the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) forces will “liberate” areas occupied by the Kurdish PKK/YPG militia in northern Syria, the official also said.
The SDF is an ally in the U.S. coalition against Islamic State militants. It is spearheaded by the YPG, a group that Ankara sees as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), whose militant fighters have battled the Turkish state for 40 years.
(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Daren Butler and Peter Graff)
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